Culture

Bullying in schools is an age-old problem and until recently, many viewed it as a student-to-student problem. This meant students were often left alone to resolve their issues among themselves. It is easy to see problems with this approach, as educational institutions beyond pre-school cater to the needs of a diverse group of students. I went to school when taking care of yourself was still the predominant culture. If someone bullied you, the best advice you could hope for was to be told by your father that you have to stand up for yourself.

NORTH GLENDALE — Unified Young Armenians held a grand opening Sunday for its new Youth Center, the first permanent site for the nine-year-old nonprofit aimed at offering free educational and enrichment activities for children and teenagers. The group — most widely known for its grass-roots organization of annual Hollywood marches in commemoration of the Armenian Genocide — is run by students who banded together two years ago to begin offering language and cultural classes for youth, in addition to its other community efforts.

In the vast spectrum of historical fiction, a reader is hard-pressed to find much written about the 11th century. Aside from the trilogy “Rashi’s Daughters,” written by Glendale resident Maggie Anton, there are few novels featuring this era, and most focus on Charlemagne, the Crusades and Christianity-based story lines dealing with religious persecution. Throughout the three books, Salomon ben Isaac, a great Jewish scholar, instructs his three daughters in the teachings of the Talmud, which is the doctrine used in Judaism to explain the Torah.

CENTRAL GLENDALE — Hundreds of community members packed the Armenian Cultural Foundation’s Glendale Youth Center during its grand opening Sunday, an event that was nearly five years in the making. The 11,000-square-foot, three-story facility brightly sticks out of a mostly residential neighborhood with its blue and yellow facade. Assemblyman Paul Krekorian said the center will give teens the opportunity to embrace their culture and enrich themselves. “This building is for us to come together as a community to lay the strong foundation for the youth that will form the basis and future of our community,” he said.

When my family and I emigrated from Iran, arriving in Glendale in the late 1980s, I didn’t know any English, didn’t have a single friend, and found out rather quickly that there was a gaping rift between my parents’ conservative Armenian upbringing and the bold sense of freedom and individuality taught and valued in America. This rift would continue to be the core of our conflicts for much of my teenage years, but for a majority of the late ’80s to early ’90s, one powerful, supernatural force would effortlessly bridge this cultural gap: Michael Jackson.

Frank Bravo has always known his mission in life was to help refugee children and families in need. Although the Glendale Community College nursing student is not quite finished with his studies, he has already begun to do his part to help the community. Bravo, 34, is vice president of the college’s Rotaract Club, which is part of the larger Rotary International Club, and through the group’s efforts, he is able to provide aid to local organizations such as Path Achieve Glendale, the city’s largest homeless services provider.

BURBANK — Thousands packed the Woodbury University quad Sunday for an Armenian cultural festival that featured song, dance and Middle Eastern food. Teen dance groups wore traditional costumes while performing a set of routines that left older visitors peering over the shoulders of onlookers who crowded around a dance floor to watch with pride. Visitors browsed vendor booths from local businesses, ate kabobs, ice cream and cotton candy, and mostly spent time chatting with family, friends and strangers while listening to Armenian hits echo through the outdoor area.

Would she pick a pencil? A piece of fruit? One of the bowls with thread, coins, rice or yarn? How about a nice red ball? The choices were almost too much for 1-year-old Kelcie Peterson last Friday morning as she — dressed in traditional Korean attire — sat atop her daddy’s lap and performed a first-birthday ritual in front of her brother Eric’s pre-school class at La Crescenta Presbyterian Church’s Center for Children....

Vahagn Turgutyan is following in his father’s footsteps playing flamenco guitar, but he has a style all his own. Turgutyan blends the traditional sounds with Armenian music. “What I do is extract certain nuances and melodic fragments from Armenian music and blend it with Flamenco styles and rhythms,” he said. “Flamenco music has a lot of influences — Moorish, Indian, etc. — I feel that Armenian music complements flamenco when it is done with the proper accuracy.

The owners of Abril Bookstore in Glendale hope to entertain and educate others about Armenian literature during a two-day celebration showcasing play readings, art workshops and dance. Store owner Harout Yeretzian and his son and store manager, Arno Yeretzian, are sponsoring the event, “Abrink: Festival of Armenian Literature and Culture,” Nov. 22 and 23 at the Glendale Central Library Auditorium. The festival’s purpose is to introduce the community to the culture of the Armenian people, Arno Yeretzian said.